Wichita protesters mostly peaceful as a nation erupts over George Floyd’s death

There was a flash of a second where a Wichita protest on Saturday looked like it might turn sour.

Protesters blocked Douglas downtown while 500-plus people stood in front of Century II, cheering as speakers talked about equality. Protesters said the driver of a truck bumped people while trying to bypass the blockade and pulled a gun when protesters came close. Protesters could be seen going toward the white truck that was going in reverse. The driver turned down a side street while at least one protester punched the truck and another threw something at it. People started to run toward the chaos when 29-year-old Willie Scott ran ahead of the group, yelled over a megaphone and held up his hand for people to stop.

They listened.

Back near the building, the Transforming Impact Ministries pastor said Wichita was an anomaly for holding a protest and keeping it peaceful. All across the country, including in Kansas City, people have rioted and destroyed property during protests against the killing of George Floyd, a man who died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, police custody Monday after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The officer has since been arrested on suspicion of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“What we have done today has proved them wrong because we are unified,” Scott said over a megaphone as the hundreds circled back around at Century II.

He turned afterward to 18-year-old organizer Nyala Williams and told her they needed to end it while things were still peaceful.

The protest ended with a prayer before the sound and smell of burnout tires briefly filled the air.

A separate protest started earlier in the day at the police north-side bureau near 21st and Hillside. Police estimated 1,800 people attended. Elected officials, Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay and leaders in the black community all spoke before police escorted a march down 21st.

The 2.5-hour protest that started 5 p.m. at Century II, went to the Sedgwick County Jail and back was made up of a younger crowd. The protest also had no police presence as protesters walked down Douglas and Main, stopping traffic.

“It’s a Saturday. There was no commerce in the area where they were,” Ramsay said in a phone interview. “Yeah, they might have delayed some people by a few minutes, but I think the right of people to speak their feelings and protest outweighs any of those concerns.”

Ramsay, who is the former president of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, referred to the Floyd killing as murder on social media earlier in the week.

During the later protest, people on bicycles and scooters rode ahead to block off the streets. The crowd yelled the names of black people killed by officers and chanted in unison.

Williams was at the front of the pack, often leading chants on a megaphone.

Williams, an 18-year-old Heights High School graduate and amateur rapper, started the protest by posting about it on Facebook. She was surprised by the turnout. Williams said she didn’t attend the 1 p.m. protest at 21st and Hillside because it was an event supported by the Wichita Police Department.

“They do not walk the streets (freaking) scared,” Williams said as the group of 500-plus stopped outside of the jail. “We do.”

Williams, who plans to study drama and acting at Navarro College in the fall, marched with a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt on and held a sign that said: “Stop killing us.”

“I feel like this needed to happen,” Williams said while marching. “I feel like all races together needed to come ... We can’t do this on our own. We needed the white people to be here. We needed the Mexican people to be here. We needed the Asians to be here. This (crap) is out of (freaking) control.”

Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson, who attended both events, said it was good to have a young generation speaking out.

“Young people change the world. The civil rights movement was led by young people,” Johnson said while protesters chanted “Black Lives Matter” in the background. “Ultimately we want more people engaged.”

The crowd all knelt for nine minutes in remembrance of Floyd before marching back to Century II.

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 8:58 PM.